Rusted From The Rain
by Mercs2Girl
Summary: After the incident in the Hive, Alice survives with only one other person; now Ex-Umbrella commando, Rain Ocampo. Takes place during Apocalypse and into Extinction Rated M for violence, swearing and mature content. Please Read and Review!
1. Prologue

**A:N: All right, ever since I watched the first Resident Evil again, I really fell in love with Rain's character. So here's this. It's rated M for swearing, violence and yes, eventually, there will be a sex scene or two. It may get sad, and you might want to kill me. But here goes. It'll be a long one. ;) **

* * *

><p><span>Rusted From The Rain<span>

"Rain?" Alice's lower lip quivered. The Umbrella Commando's head hung down, chin to her collar bone. The blonde was praying in the back of her mind that the anti-virus would start to kick in. She didn't want to lose the one other person she had come to care about during the two hours down in the Hive. Not now after what they had gone through, not ever. Rain had been bit at least four times, maybe even more, Alice wasn't sure. She had started to pale, and her eyes had the circles around them. She was weak. But yet, the black haired woman remained still. "Rain?" Alice called again softly, with urge in her voice. When there was no response again, Alice's blue-green eyes darted to the silver handgun that lay on the bare steel floor of the train they were on. Rain had asked her that when the time came, that Alice wouldn't let her turn into one of those 'things'. This was the time.

Alice took the pistol, the weight of it in her hand surprising her. She pulled the slide back, cocking it once. She shakily aimed it at the top of Rain's head. Her eyes began to water. This wasn't how she wanted it to end, but at least Rain had an easy way out, and wasn't going to become one of the undead. Her index finger treaded the trigger, when suddenly she felt a force push the pistol to the side. It was Rain's bloodily bandaged hand.

"I'm not dead yet." She stated softly, breathing forced. "I think…I'll take that back." Alice let her have the pistol. Alice found herself shaking, both from being damp, and the near heart attack the other woman gave her. Slowly, the blonde smirked, leaning in close so Rain could hear her.  
>"I could kiss you, you bitch."<p>

Rain's brows arched, even in her weakened state. Alice was so close to her face. "Then do it." Rain smirked in reply. Hell, she'd take a kiss from anyone right about now. Alice looked back at her rather dumbfounded. What was going on through the commando's head? Was she even making clear decisions?

"What?" Alice said blankly to buy herself time. The train continued moving up the shaft as Alice had set the controls to auto at a decent pace.

"You gonna kiss me or not?" Rain used her non-injured hand to put it on the other woman's cheek, fingers nestling behind Alice's right ear. She tugged her right in, so they were less than an inch apart. They were the only ones left on the train as both Kaplan and Matt had fallen to the licker that had escaped and mutated after killing Spence. That licker later fell victim to being hit by the bullet train, leaving one bloody pulp of undead road kill on the tracks. Alice's eyes locked into Rain's dark ones, and she smiled, lips meeting and moulding together as one. Rain didn't have a whole lot of strength left, but Alice knew that if she did, the kiss would be much more fiery and passionate. She could feel it by the way that Rain held her grip on the side of her head.

* * *

><p>Alice pulled back for a moment, and already she noticed that Rain's colour was coming back to her face. It seemed that the anti-virus was working. The blonde felt slightly relieved and ecstatic. She wouldn't be the only one to survive. She smiled brightly. "We'll be okay." She stated, more out of self-reassurance than trying to comfort the commando. Alice rose to her feet, walking to the control room of the train. They were just about to reach the entrance of the Hive. Once the train was stopped, Alice helped Rain out, lending her shoulder to the shorter woman. They barely escaped with just under twenty seconds before the doors sealed themselves shut for good. Before they stopped, both went up to the mansion and collapsed to the floor in the main room. For now, they were safe. Alice held Rain close to her as she felt her emotions finally getting the better of her. Tears watered in her pale eyes.<p>

"I failed…all of them. I failed"

"No. You didn't. We got out. There was nothing else we could've done…" Rain comforted the blonde, a hand on her shoulder. The case for the anti-virus was next to them. Rain was already feeling better, her bite wounds hurting less. The one on her neck especially. Rain wasn't one to usually get emotional, but seeing Alice this upset had her worried. She took Alice to be the kind of woman who could maybe handle this. After all, she had been head of security down in the Hive. Rain sighed, and hugged her. "It'll be-"

Rain was cut off by the sound of people and feet shuffling inside the mansion. She urged Alice to her feet. "C'mon. Something's not right in here." She took out her pistol, holding in her left hand. The two women walked into the hallway, and the sight before them took both by shock. White plastic lined the walls, and about ten men in gas masks and white hazmat suits were advancing. Rain used the last three rounds in her pistol to shoot them, hitting two in the head, and one in the chest. Unlike the undead, they all fell down, dying soon thereafter. However, that didn't stop the next wave of men, grabbing each woman, and separating them. Alice fought against the four men holding her back as Rain tried to do the same. She was getting dragged farther down the hall way into what looked like a white clad tent.  
>"RAIN!" Alice screamed out, elbowing one of the men in the neck beneath his suit. She tried to catch up to the former Umbrella soldier and found herself locked in another set of arms. Soon others had her, and she couldn't escape no matter how hard she tried. Rain was fighting like hell, but in her weakened and wounded state, she couldn't fight like she normally could. "RAIN!" Alice yelled again, her voice raspy and strained. This couldn't end like this…not after what went down in the Hive. There was a man standing in the tent, gas mask on, standing over two cots. Rain was getting strapped into one, and Alice was getting dragged along slowly towards the other.<p>

* * *

><p>"This one's been bit. I want her in the Survivor program."<p>

"RAIN!"

"I want her quarantined, close observation and a full series of blood tests. Let's see if she's infected. Take her to the Raccoon City facility. Then assemble the team. We're reopening the Hive. I want to know what went on down there. Just do it. "

The last thing Alice remembered seeing was white. There was a lot of white and only the eyes of the doctors and surgeons standing above her in yet another white room, machines beeping, and people moving around. She slowly felt something injected into her arm again, and she blanked out again. Rain's fate was still unknown.


	2. Savin' Me

**Chapter One: Savin' Me**

When Alice opened her eyes again, she was still staring up at the white ceiling. Her vision at first was fuzzy, but it cleared after a moment. She blinked again, and slowly sat up, seeing her reflection in the glass on one of the walls. She had wires in all parts of her body; legs, arms, torso and in the side of her head. She screamed out in pain, her muscles aching as if she hadn't used them in months. She began tearing at the needle sites, ripping the tubes from her body. It hurt, but that didn't stop Alice's tirade. The last one she pulled was from the side of her head, and it made a sound similar to pulling a tube of an air tank. She screamed in frustration again, throwing herself off the operating table. Her feet and legs failed to hold her upright, and she landed on the floor. Backing up in a crawl, she then used the table to help stand. She was wearing only two white sheets stringed together over her shoulders, barely providing any decency. She looked herself over in the reflective glass again. She had small wounds from where the needles had been injected in her body, and her hair had grown since she last remembered. The hair around the side of her head had been shaved down to allow the head tube space to be put in. She looked to her right arm and noticed smaller circular wounds in the shape of a triangle in the small of her elbow. The scar on her left shoulder seemed purple and pink with irritation, as if they had cut into it again. She still didn't remember where she'd gotten that from in the first place. Hitting the glass with her hands, she yelled, "Let me out!" to no avail. No one was there. Taking matters into her hands, she walked back to the table, and grabbed one of the bloody IV needles that had been in her hand. She walked to the door, and fiddled with the mechanism, jabbing the needle in at a forty five degree angle. Suddenly, she hit what she'd been looking for, and a few sparks flew, unlocking the door. It swung open, and Alice walked down the empty hallways of what she believed to be the Raccoon City hospital. Grabbing a doctor's lab coat, she walked to the entrance way. She couldn't believe what she saw. Destruction was everywhere. Cars on fire were crashed and left to die. Pieces of newspaper and other debris were flying through the air. No one was around. She crossed her arms as she walked down the street towards a few police cruisers. She looked in one and found nothing, then, she looked in the other, grabbing the standard issue shot gun tucked inside the passenger door. Cocking the pump-action shot gun, Alice knew now that things had gone so terribly wrong. If people weren't around, and destruction enveloped the city, it meant only one thing: The T-Virus had escaped.

* * *

><p>Walking down the streets devoid of humans, Alice found her way to a Surplus store. Inside were guns of all varieties, and clothing. She found a tank top, some jeans, and boots to her liking, changing out of the lab coat. She took two pistols and grabbed holsters as well, strapping on a belt, and thigh holsters. Suddenly, she felt a writhing pain in her left arm, and just as she had done up the button on her jeans, the blonde fell to her knees. The pain seared through the rest of her body, and for a moment, she swore she saw something <em>moving<em> beneath her skin of her upper arm. Alice thought that maybe her eyes were deceiving her. What the hell had they done to her? Alice felt panic grip her heart. Holding her arm, she realised something was most definitely in there, and she began seeing flash backs of the moment she and Rain were taken away and separated. _Just Do It._ The doctor's voice reverberated in the back of Alice's mind. She closed her eyes. They had injected her directly with the virus.

"Psst!" A hushed hiss of a voice made Alice startle and jump back. She drew the pistol shakily and looked around. She had no idea what had just made that noise, whether it was a person or something else. "Alice?" The voice called. A curved figure emerged from the shadows of the back room. Alice's eyes widened.

"Rain?" She stood up slowly and the figure came into more of the light provided by the street lamps outside. Her long wavy hair hung below her breasts and she was wearing her usual of all black, tight fitting clothing. The blonde lowered the weapon, holstering it on her thigh.

"What the fuck did they do to you?" Rain asked, her voice carrying its usual demeanour, however she seemed to have a worried undertone.

"I…I don't know." Alice replied, hanging her head as she looked at her left arm. The moving bulge had disappeared for now. "What about you? Are you okay?" Alice stood in front of her, looking down into Rain's dark eyes. The commando's lips curved into a smirk.

"They can't keep a good bitch down. They thought they were gonna put some shit into me, but I didn't let that happen." Rain rolled back her long black sleeve on her left arm, showing one elongated scar drawn from the inside of her elbow down to her thumb. It was about a quarter of an inch in diameter and still red around the edges, but otherwise looked mostly healed. "Got that when the bastards decided they were gonna stab me. Fought like hell, and escaped out to here where all fucking hell broke loose." Rain let her sleeve go, and she slung the familiar Mp5k around from her back. Alice looked over the other weapons in the store, grabbing herself a shot gun like the one she'd earlier, slinging it in a holder over her own back. She too decided that a pair of sub-machine guns would do her some good, and so she took a pair similar to Rain's without ACOG scopes. Rain looked like she already had everything she needed.

"Where do we go from here?" Alice asked, looking out the front glass window. There were a few cracks here and there. Rain stood beside her, turning her head to look up at the taller blonde.

"I say we get the fuck outta here, kick some of the undead's asses, and make a break. You?"

"That sounds like a damn good plan to me."

* * *

><p>Alice and Rain ventured out into the streets again, watching each other's backs. So far, they hadn't seen any of the undead, but they heard the shots and screams coming from the direction of Raven's Gate Bridge. Both agreed to avoid that end of the city seeing as they knew then they wouldn't get out. It felt that for hours, they walked city blocks, trying to find a way out. But walls surrounded the city, and there was no hope in hell to escape the thirty foot solid concrete barriers, topped with barbed wire and numerous Umbrella guards. Alice wondered if all hope was lost. What would happen if they tried to escape? Were the men who experimented on her looking for her? Alice wasn't sure. As they rounded a corner, Alice jumped when she heard something ringing. She looked at Rain who looked around them, trying to locate the source of the noise. The ex-Umbrella soldier's eyes settled on the row of payphones until she found the one that was working.<p>

"Hello?" Rain answered the phone harshly and kept the phone close to her ear, her brows knitting together after the first five minutes went by. She seemed to get even more concerned right as she hung up, and then to answer Alice's curious glance, she told what this Dr. Ashford had just told her. "We gotta find his kid. She's in the school. That's another block over. We get the kid, we can get on a helicopter and get the fuck outta here. Got it?" Rain ordered. Alice nodded and the pair again began their trek across the street and through an alleyway. In the alley, next to the dumpster was a soldier. Or, what used to be a soldier. He had a bullet in his head, but there was blood all over his mouth. Rain shot one round from her sub-machine gun just to make sure that he wouldn't get up and come after them. Alice followed in tow, taking out her shot gun. If there were any of the infected in the school, she was going to blast any life remaining out of them for good. She pumped it once, sending one slug into the chamber full of buckshot. Rain approached the door, kicking it open as she peered down each hallway. "All right. You take the left, I take right. We meet in the caf in half an hour. If we haven't found this girl by then, we go together." Rain gave her orders without second thoughts. It was something that came as a first nature for the commando. Alice of course, had no objections. She still felt dazed and confused about everything up until this point. Why did they want to experiment on _her_? What was so special about their Ex-head of security in the Hive? The mere thought caused the blonde to shiver as she walked the eerily empty halls. She felt an odd feeling build up in the pit of her stomach, as if she was going to be sick. '_No, no not now Alice.' _She thought. Now was definitely not the time to let her guard down.

* * *

><p>Rain took the hall to the right which led down into what she thought were the really primary aged students. Finger paintings and crafts lined the cork boards on the walls. She almost chuckled at the irony of it all. Still, with the outbreak, something remained colourful. She kicked in each door as she passed it, taking a brief observation for anything mobile in each class room. She rounded the corner, gun muzzle going first before Rain. She pushed back her thick hair, wishing she had a hair-elastic then. The commando kicked the first door to the right in the next hall way, and paused at the sight. There was a girl in the corner, curled up, head on her knees. Rain rushed in, jogging to her, gun still raised.<p>

"Hey. Hey little girl. You deaf or something?" Rain barked. The girl remained. Rain drew closer, and nudged her with the toe of her combat boot. The girl looked up, her eyes a piercingly pale blue, blood all over her front. "Shit." Rain cursed, instantly shooting her before the girl could try to bite her. Rain had lived through that once. She didn't need to again. Turning around, she froze. She thought the room had been empty. She was ever so wrong. Standing now between Rain and the door were a pack of at least ten infected children. Most people would be too disturbed to fire upon what were once innocent children, but Rain was indifferent. She fired out the magazine in her Mp5k, knowing now that only head shots killed the undead. She wasn't going to make the mistake she did in the Hive and expend her ammunition so quickly. The undead children all fell where they stood. Rain sighed deeply before continuing onwards, looking for the girl named Angela Ashford.

* * *

><p>Alice heard the gunfire, and a part of her wanted to go help Rain. But she knew deep down that the other woman had been a soldier; she could handle herself. Besides, this gut feeling wasn't going away. In fact, it was growing stronger by the minute. She opened the last door in the hallway, and she stopped mid-stride. There was a clicking noise on the tiles. Turning around slowly, Alice almost cursed. Before her were four of the infected Dobermans she had seen down in the Hive. "God dammit." She breathed deeply, raising her shot gun. The first of the four lunged at her, and she shot it cleanly, blasting its head open, bits and coagulated blood plastering the walls. The blonde ran back into the classroom, slamming the door. The dogs however broke the glass and were now in the same room. Alice's fingers fiddled with loading the next shell as they began to circle her. She backed into a corner, and shot the next one dead. But the third and the fourth could almost smell that she was struggling to reload in time. Both lunged at the same moment, and Alice held up the shotgun to defend herself, using it as a melee weapon. However, that was almost unnecessary as two shots were fired from the doorway.<p>

* * *

><p>"Stay." A man's voice ordered. It had a slight accent to it, and Alice's blue eyes darted to the broken door. Standing there was a man with black hair, dressed as if he was a soldier. Alice noticed the Umbrella patch and raised her shot gun. "Hey. Don't worry about it. I <em>used<em> to work for them." He chuckled, opening the door. "You're looking for the girl too?" He asked, just as he was joined by yet another man, dressed in a jacket and a fedora.

"Aw shit man." He spoke loudly. "Oh well uh, didn't see you there." He was of African-American decent and had a goatee. The other taller man looked back at Alice, expecting an answer. She walked over slowly, hesitantly.

"Yeah. I am. I'm not alone either." She pointed out, looking at her watch. "Come on. If we work together, we can all get out of here." As she walked through the doorway, the first man offered his hand.

"The name's Carlos Oliveira." Alice shook his hand once and started walking in the direction of the cafeteria. "You?"

"I'm Alice." She replied distantly, her ears on the alert for any more gunshots. She hoped Rain was all right. For her to be reunited with the commando, only to have her actually die again, would almost be heartbreaking.

"Normally, I'd ask you to call me Lord James, but in these circumstances, you can just call me LJ." The man in the fedora smiled. Alice rolled her eyes as she kicked open the swinging doors. What surprised her was that Rain was standing there, her hand on the shoulder of a girl who looked about twelve years old.

* * *

><p>"Took you long enough, Alice. You had me worried there. Who're your friends?" She questioned, giving Carlos a look. She swore she knew him from somewhere. Well, he was wearing an Umbrella uniform. She figured she had probably seen his face once or twice during training or work.<p>

"Carlos and LJ. They were looking for the girl too." Alice said softly as she approached Angela. "All right. It's time we got out of here."

"There was one detail I forgot to mention." Rain began. "They're planning to nuke this place."

"What?" Alice turned back, looking at the brunette over her shoulder.  
>"Aw shit." LJ complained. "That can't be good."<p>

"How many kilotons?" Carlos asked softly. He had to know how big of a bomb they were going to use.

"Fifteen." Rain replied coldly as she started to manhandle Angela out of the school. She hadn't bothered with the names and sappy crap. Rain liked it to be simple, clean cut and to the point.

"What does that mean?" LJ asked as he fell into stride beside Rain. She noticed from the corner of her eye that he had not one, but two gold-plated Desert Eagles in his belt. She rolled her eyes. He was the stereotypical black guy.

"Means we're fucked." She said blatantly. Angela looked up at her. "Kid, don't look at me like that. It's not my fault. Just bein' honest." Alice stood in on the other side, and then as they stopped in the street, Alice looked her in the eyes.

* * *

><p>"Angela…" Alice said softly. The red-blonde girl looked up at her, clinging onto the lunchbox. "Let me see." At first, the girl shook her head. Rain arched a brow at Alice. Alice proceeded to bug her, until the girl sighed, and rolled up her sleeve. On her arm were a series of small circles in clusters of six, some still red from puncturing her skin, others scarred over. Rain looked at her arm.<p>

"What the hell?"

"She's majorly infected." Alice started to explain. Rain then raised her Mp5k, and cocked it as if to shoot her. Alice saw the movement and stood between them defensively.

"She is too." The girl finally spoke up, her voice containing a crisp British accent of a London school girl. Rain's brows furrowed deeply as she shifted her glance and her gun to Alice now.

"The T-Virus is keeping her alive…" Alice explained softly, putting her hand over Rain's submachine gun. Rain shook her head, and then lowered it, defeated.

"What's with the lunch box, kid?" Alice then watched as Angela opened it up. In it, was what she suspected. Several vials of the anti-virus were stood up in metal holders contained within the lunch box.

"She uses them to keep the virus in check." Alice said softly, putting an arm around Angela. They knew each other from before, and kept close as the ragtag group moved out of the school, with Rain and Carlos in the lead. After all, Rain knew where to take them to meet Dr. Ashford.

As the group of LJ, Carlos, Angela, Alice and Rain hurried in the dark to the designated location for Angela's pick up, Alice felt something in the back of her mind that was warning her. Something was just not right…


	3. Bitch Came Back

**Chapter Two:** **Bitch Came Back**

As Alice and the others began ascending up to the pick-up area, Alice's gut started to feel like it was in knots. "Guys…something's out there."

"What the fuck you talking about?" Rain spat back, adjusting her hold on the black submachine gun as they walked up the asphalt ramp side by side. Carlos and LJ stood ahead of them taking point. Angela stood between the two women, a worried look in her eyes.

"I don't know. I can't see it. But, it's out there." Alice replied, her eyes looking out into the pitch black darkness of the nearby airfield. Carlos turned and gave them both a look, holding his rifle. Alice's eyes widened suddenly, and then the next thing she knew, Carlos was grabbed out of mid-air, lugged backwards into the dark. Rain and Alice instantly tensed up, Angie screamed, LJ shot a round from his custom desert eagle and Alice looked around for a way out. "RUN!" She yelled, her voice rasping as she pushed Rain back. Rain complied, grabbing the girl and then shot at the dark towards where Carlos had been taken. If it was anything made by Umbrella, she knew that either it wouldn't die on the first shot, or at least it would put the fellow soldier out of his misery. Alice was cringing when she heard lowly growling coming from the dark shadows next to the glass building where they were supposed to meet Dr. Ashford. LJ stood, as if in shock when he heard the noise as well, casting a glance to the blonde. Alice was about to give him an order too, when he was knocked back into the shadows as well, grunting in pain. The blonde's eyes widened as she began moving away from where she had been in case she was next to be attacked. Rain had meanwhile crawled into an alleyway between buildings and was waiting for the thing to make a move, whatever the thing was. Angela stayed at Rain's side in the dark.

"Stay here." Rain ordered her. Meanwhile, the blonde had taken out and cocked her own dual Mp5ks, standing her ground as the growling grew closer. Something else sounded like it was growing, _mutating_, Alice figured. She snarled, nose twitching, waiting for it to emerge out of the darkness.

* * *

><p>The thing that came out of the dark was something worthy of a horrid nightmare. Raw flesh was half sloughing off the creature in large slabs. It walked on four, muscled pink legs. Its feet, splayed and clawed with talons that were three inches at least in length. They clicked on the asphalt as it took a few hesitant steps towards Alice. She wasn't shaking, but her eyes were wide and caught in a glance. The creature licked its lips with a tongue that was elongated to be well over three feet in length. It was shaped like a sadistic canine creature out of a science fiction movie. It rolled its neck to the left, then the right, panting before letting out another lowly, rumbling growl. As it drew closer, the blonde saw that it must've been about five feet at the shoulder, with another foot for the head which was round, with no eyes, teeth gnashing towards Alice. Alice immediately took to shooting at its head, and instantly, it burst into flesh chunks which scattered all over the ground, blood squirting out like a fountain. Alice side-stepped and then to her horror, where one head had been, two more were growing back, splitting like amoebas.<p>

Rain watched on from her hiding spot, jaw hitting the floor. Of all the things Umbrella had created, this had to have been the scariest thing the commando had seen. Rain saw that Alice would need help if this thing didn't die from a head shot. Running out, the dark haired woman started firing at its body, expending one thirty round magazine into its torso. The thing only bled, but never dropped. Alice started doing the same, but stopped when she saw Rain. The blonde sprinted as the creature tried to swat at her with one clawed foot, and the second head tried to hit her with its tongue. Ducking and rolling, the blonde wound up beside Rain. "It's…like the Hydra."

"What?" Rain spat, pushing Alice back as she changed magazines and rolled against the fence lining the edge of the airfield.

"It's like the hydra!" Alice shouted. "In Greek mythology…" She paused, ducking to avoid another swat from the monster with no eyes. Rain started to shout again over her rounds.

"Get to the point!" Rain argued, shooting one of the tongues. One of the bullets hit the left head and it burst, but before too long, another two heads grew in, totalling four.

"Stop shooting the heads! Two will grow back!" She replied from across the lot, trying to distract the creature. The beast leapt forward, unsure of which woman to go after first. Tongues were flying, much like the licker from in the Hive, trying to grasp its target.

"Then how the fuck do we kill it?" Rain yelled, gasping when she was hit backwards into the chain link fence. The blonde slowly stood up, holstering her Mp5ks, taking out the black twelve gauge shot gun from the sling on her back. She pumped it, and fired at the monster's apparent 'knee', hoping it'd fall. That wouldn't kill it, but it'd incapacitate him momentarily.

"We have to burn it!"

"With what?" Rain barked, picking herself up from the fence, shooting eight rounds into the thing's tongue.

"Use your flares!"

Suddenly, it hit Rain like a train. She grabbed one flare from her belt, struck it against the ground, and the area was eliminated of its darkness. The monster was truly terrifying, but Rain ran fearlessly towards it while Alice began shooting the other legs out from it. She covered for the commando, and Rain held the flare right in its face after shooting one head. It cauterized the neck stump. Running away, Rain repeated the process. Light the flare, shoot the head, burn the stump. Alice all the while was expending her buck shot shells into its body, taking fleshy chunks out of its ribs and sides. With a great groan, the bleeding beast fell to its stumps of knees and let out a despairing sigh of defeat. Rain shot and then burnt out the last head, and the thing finally died.

* * *

><p>"How the fuck did you know how to kill it?" Rain panted, kicking the thing once in the head.<p>

"I uh, was into mythology in high school…"

"Really? You?"

"Yeah. I know." The blonde smirked, reloading her shotgun. "Wouldn't expect it, would you?"

"No. Not at all."

The two women continued, and Rain hurried back into the alleyway, where Angela had remained hidden. She looked paler than a ghost. Alice gently put her hand on the girl's shoulder and the pair again began their ascent up to the open area near the city hall to bring Angela to her father. There was an Osprey Umbrella helicopter waiting for them there. A man in a wheel chair sat beside it. "C'mon." Rain urged and they started jogging towards it. "Where's LJ? " The commando questioned. Alice simply shook her head. She knew by the crunch the man's body had made when it hit the pavement that he wasn't coming out of that alive. As they drew closer, the man in the wheelchair's lips curled a little into a smile. He had short cropped hair, and small glasses nestled on his nose.

"Daddy!" Angie exclaimed, running towards him.

"Hey." The man replied, his voice also carrying a British accent as he embraced his little girl. Alice and Rain stood before him. "I told you I'd have a way out. Thank you."

"Of course. Now let's get the hell outta here." Rain started for the helicopter, and Alice helped Dr. Ashford into the back hold, strapping both him and Angie in before sitting next to Rain. She was shaking a little.

* * *

><p>"Hey. You okay?" Alice asked softly, her gaze glancing to her right.<p>

"I'm fine. Why the hell you askin' me?"

"You're shaking."

"I think anybody would be too after fighting that _thing_." Rain said defensively as the helicopter began to take off. There were two pilots, both dressed in black Umbrella fatigues. Alice wasn't sure about that, but Dr. Ashford gave her a confident smile as she looked across at him.

"Don't worry. They've been…bought, so to speak." The man explained. Alice sighed in relief. The last thing they needed was to be lambs led to slaughter. The blonde gave Rain a reassuring shoulder nudge.

"We're going to get out of here."

"Thanks for that, Captain Obvious." Rain joked back, her smirk returning to her lips. She brushed back her wavy hair from her brow and slouched in her seat a little, letting her gun rest in her lap. Alice chuckled, and glanced out the window. The sun was just beginning to rise. It was almost serene the way the light illuminated the devastated city now a few hundred feet below them. Then, Alice's blue eyes widened as a large explosion started in the heart of the city centre where they had been minutes earlier.

"_Turbulence. Turbulence. Turbulence." _ The Osprey began shaking, and Alice struggled to brace herself against the harness. Even then, it was hard to hold on to. Rain was suffering the same fate even more so as the helicopter began spinning out of control. The pilots were shouting at each other, but Alice couldn't hear them over the intercom with its calls about the obvious turbulence. Angie was clinging to her father, trying her best to hold onto his wheel chair. Alice managed to sneak a look out the window, and her jaw fell. They were approaching land, and they were approaching land fast.

* * *

><p>"Alice! Alice, where the fuck are you?" Rain stumbled out from underneath a piece of the helicopter that used to be part of the door. She had a piece of shrapnel in her upper thigh and a cut above her left brow that was leaking blood into her eye. She couldn't see out of it either. The commando stumbled over the ground, tripping once over the creek bed where they had crashed. She pulled herself up slowly, and looked again. "Abernathy, god dammit where the-" Rain stopped dead in her tracks at the sight before her. Alice Abernathy looked to be stuck against a rock, blood covering her lower torso. Rain's good eye tracked it to the source. She had been impaled by a large metal pole-like object. Rain made a move to at least move her body, maybe bury it, when she heard a voice barking an order.<p>

"_The goal is to find Project Alice. Bring her in. I need her in Detroit immediately as soon as possible while her body is still viable. Go. Now."_


	4. Bring Me To Life

**Chapter Three: Bring Me To Life**

"_Come on. Wake up. Wake the fuck up, woman. C'mon."_

Alice heard a familiar voice in her ears, ringing through her head. At first it was foggy, muted almost, but as her consciousness regained power, it became clear as day. The sandy blonde licked her lips, eyes slowly opening. She had a salty taste on her tongue, and she felt like she was soaking wet. She looked up and blinked at the woman before her. She knew the face, but she couldn't speak. Lips moved, but nothing came out. Rain shifted her hold on the other woman and sat her up.

"Hey. What's my name? What's your name?" The blonde simply blinked, staring blankly back at the commando. Rain sighed in frustration and looked her dead in the face as they sat against the back of an abandoned building. She had just spent a hell of a lot of bullets getting her way in and out of the Detroit lab, and now the woman couldn't even speak? "What the hell did they do to you?" Rain said, mostly talking to herself. She put a hand on Alice's shoulder, and she jerked upright, eyes widening.

* * *

><p><strong> "<strong>My…my name…my name…my name is Alice…"

"She speaks." Rain smirked with a low chuckle. Alice still looked dazed and confused. The commando sat back more relaxed against the cold concrete wall. She knew Alice would be all right now. Her memory would be slow, but surely it'd come back. Rain held her grin. Slowly, Alice stopped looking like a deer caught in the headlights, and she shivered in the duster coat Rain had found for her. She began to grin a little bit, and her face began to colour again.

"You get laid yet?" Alice's voice was raspy, and harsh from lack of use. Rain began to laugh. Of all things, Alice had to ask that.

"Nah, not yet. But it'll happen on of these days. Come on. Let's help you up, and I got you some clothes to put on." Rain dug around in a grey back pack and pulled out some shorts and a few thin shirts. "It's not much but better than what you got now." Alice took what she had, and shakily stood to her feet, using the wall as her support. She dressed, and had to admire the outfit. It felt kind of right. A duster coat, cargo shorts, a tank top, and button up shirt over that.

"This some kind of joke?" Alice held an amused look in her eye. "I feel like a goddamn cowboy."

"Hey, it was all I could find. Stop complaining." Rain argued playfully. "Not that I would mind the view with just the towel."

"Really now?" Alice chuckled, lightly punching the brunette in the shoulder.

"Yeah really." Rain then pulled her ever apparent Mp5k from her back, and slid the lever forward, loading the submachine gun. She appeared to have several magazines worth of ammunition on her belt. Her hair was still down, going to her collar bone in black waves. She still had a black tee shirt, but had found black fatigues with pockets, also packed with ammo. Her scar on her left arm had healed over, leaving a dark, jagged line down her forearm in the shape of a badly drawn lightning bolt. The last thing Alice put on were a pair of leather lace up boots that went up almost to her knee. She crouched to tie them up and slowly stood. She felt a little sore, stiff, and had a pain in the middle of her chest. She didn't remember much after the helicopter crash, but she figured that it had been gruesome. Rain appeared to still walk with a bit of a limp favouring her right leg. Alice noticed too as they began to walk through the streets of Detroit that the ex-Umbrella soldier had a scar across her brow as well.

* * *

><p>"Rain…what happened after we got in the helicopter?" Rain kept looking forward, taking point as they moved south. She wanted to get the hell out of the city, and away from any of the infected.<p>

"The explosion from the nuke sent it crashing. I don't think Angie or her father made it."

"And me?"

"You were dead."

"What?"

"You were dead, but then some fucking British guy was lookin' for you, so I waited, followed him, then went in while later, and rescued you." She turned around a corner, and then kicked in a door to a camping, and sport store.

"They…brought me back? Why?"

"Like I know." Rain grabbed a combat shot gun, shoving it into Alice's hands. The blonde took it in the holster, and slung it over her back. The pair continued down the aisles.

"I…" She paused again as Rain handed her two silver Nite Tac pistols from a rack, as well as ammo. Their fingers met and Alice's eyes widened. Flashbacks from everything from waking up in the shower, to the Hive, to the train, Spence, and the Red Queen went through her mind like a movie.

"Alice?"

"I…I remember everything."

* * *

><p>It was around eight at night when the two women had finally gotten far out enough in the Michigan countryside to avoid majority of the infected undead in the cities. Houses were few and far in between, some being up to two miles apart. Rain's leg was getting to her, even though the wound had healed up, roughly with her own stitches being cut a few days prior. She hoped she wouldn't have to do it again. They weren't her forte. Alice had kept close, still dazed from her experience of waking up after actually, being legally dead. It was hard to get over. It was starting to get dark, and Rain knew that it wouldn't be wise to keep going. Over the past two weeks, all hell had broken loose in the US. It wasn't safe to venture alone, but it wasn't safe to stay in big cities. The pair continued walking up the shoulder of the paved road, until Alice put a hand out on Rain's shoulder.<p>

"What?"

"Come on. This place is the only one for miles, Rain. We should stay in the house. We can rest up." Rain quirked one brow and then turned down a gravel driveway, raising her gun again. Alice took out the shot gun as opposed to the pistols on her thighs. The farm house was average size, red bricked. There was a barn, but no animals were left. It looked like it had been abandoned way before the T-Virus outbreak, with broken fence rails, dried pastures with unkempt grass, and a barn door hanging off the wall with just one hinge attached. Rain kicked in the door with her left leg, cringing with the extra weight on her right. She turned on the flashlight and looked around. Alice followed, taking the right side, into the living room. She didn't feel that there was anything in there, but it was obviously wise to check it out anyway. Rain took the upstairs, and five minutes late she was back downstairs. She sighed as she flopped down into the couch, slouching, and legs apart. Alice slung the shot gun back into its holder, and joined Rain.

* * *

><p>"How's the leg?" Alice asked. Rain shrugged in silently reply, kicking her feet up onto the coffee table.<p>

"It's fine."

"You sure? You've been limping all day."

"It's _fine_." Rain replied sternly, and another moment she was up on her feet again. "What now?"

"Uh we should maybe secure the place just in case?" Alice suggested. Rain shrugged, looking around the place. "Just a thought."

"Maybe. Let's go check out that barn."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Short, uneventful chapter is short ish, but this is to hold you over while I write the next one, which I PROMISE is much more...exciting than the last. ;) Trust me on that. **

**Also, I thrive on reviews, so keep them coming. It makes me smile to come home and check my email to have emails from FF about Reviews, favs, and subscriptions. Thanks guys for staying with this story. It means a lot to me. :)**


	5. Little Smirk

**A/N: This chapter goes out a friend of mine by the name of Amy. She knows exactly why. ;)**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Four: Little Smirk<strong>

Finding shelter for the night seemed a lot easier now that it was just the two of them again. Alice felt oddly comforted to know that she was with a commando who knew her stuff, and how to handle guns. Alice found even with her enhanced senses, it was good not to have to worry since Rain always had her back. They worked as a team, using silent orders when they ventured out into the streets and countryside. Rain wasn't sure, but she knew that Alice had some kind of mind power where she could sense when something was going to attack. She got a look in her eye and would often stop dead in her tracks, and five minutes later, there would be a horde of the undead. It was uncanny, but Rain learned to trust it as much, if not more than her own gut feeling.

The two women ambled to the barn calmly, though both had their guns still ready to be fired just in case. The doors of the barn were loosely hanging on their hinges, blowing in the breeze. Alice had taken point. After all, she was worried about Rain's leg, and didn't want her to hurt it even further. She peered into the wooden barn, and inside from what she could tell using the dying sunset was that it had been a horse barn with six different stalls, a hay mow, and what appeared to be a small wash bay for the horses. The inside looked much newer than the outside did. For some reason, that was a bit reassuring to the blonde, but she kept her guard up anyway. Anything could attack them at any time. As if on cue, there was a creaking noise, and both Alice and Rain stopped in their tracks. The blonde raised her pistol, ready to fire when all that came out of the dark was a chicken. White feathered, red crested and skinny, the bird fluttered out, crowing at them. Alice stood there in shock, whereas Rain began to laugh, shaking her head. She clamped a hand down on Alice's shoulder.

"C'mon. Look, there's some wood in the corner here we can use." The commando hobbled over, and grabbed one of the boards. "Hey. Abernathy, it wasn't one of the lickers, it was just a chicken…you chicken." She was still laughing as Alice finally came to. Of all things, it had to be something as harmless as poultry. Alice turned to look, and the thing was long gone. She had considered shooting it to eat, but it was too scrawny to have any good meat on its bones. Alice shook her head, and let herself laugh a little. At least the world still had some humour left in it.

* * *

><p>After they returned, Rain began hammering in a few pieces of plywood that they had found in the barn against the door of the country house they were in. She used the butt of her rifle, the sound echoing against the empty walls. Alice had checked out the house in greater depth in the meantime and searched for supplies, but found none. Whoever had been here before cleaned it out to the bare minimum. With a huff, Rain sat down against the wall, hands on her knees, gun on the floor beside her. Alice sat across from her in the same pose. Ever since Rain had helped Alice escape from Umbrella's Detroit facility, they hadn't the time to talk much. A small smirk crossed the darker haired woman's lips.<p>

** "**Hey, you ever gonna live up to paying me back for saving your ass from Umbrella?"

**"**Well uh, I mean I'm forever grateful but, what do you mean?" Alice glanced up at Rain.

"Oh I think you know." Rain's smirk grew, her arched brow waggling a little. After a moment, Alice finally got what she was getting at.

"I do." Alice paused, crawling on the hardwood floor towards the black-clad commando. She paused when they were again, mere inches apart. Rain slowly moved in for the kill, her fingers finding her gloved fingers wrapping themselves in Alice's blonde waves. Rain sought after Alice's lips hungrily. It had been so long since she had had _anything_. The kiss on the train had been her first in months. Umbrella worked their soldiers hard, and didn't leave a whole lot of social time for their own devices. For Rain it was even a little harder trying to find someone who she was interested in, and attractive enough but Alice was just that. Rain found her to be someone different, someone she wasn't used to being around, and that was definitely part of the fire leading on to what was fuelling her inner want. Alice held the kiss much longer than the one on the train, and she wanted it to last even longer, but the blonde was out of breath. Panting slightly, she looked into Rain's eyes and for a moment, she thought of how this could have the potential to be more than just casual sex. She had imagined that maybe; just maybe they could actually make something out of this. But that thought vanished when Rain pushed her back by the shoulders, and soon straddled her with force Alice hadn't been expecting. The commando soon took the dominant position in this situation and she leaned down against Alice, kissing the skin of her neck, and cheeks, pausing by her ear.

* * *

><p>"You like it rough?" She asked, eyes flicking to catch Alice's reaction. Alice nodded. Few people knew this, but she did like it rough. Both giving it and receiving it. It was a side of her that barely came out, but when it did, it was fun to be around."Oh the things I'm going to do to you." Rain mused on, slipping Alice out of her duster coat. Her hands began to slip under the brown button up shirt, ripping it off Alice's thin frame before sliding her hands right under the white tank top, feeling Alice's breasts beneath her fingers. She pinched both nipples between her thumbs and forefingers, doing so until they hardened. Alice bit her lip a little. She had no idea what Rain had in store for her, but in all honesty, she was anticipating anything and everything.<p>

"You into biting?" Rain asked, arching one black eyebrow. Alice looked back, and slowly, one of the naughtiest smirks she could muster crossed her lips. Oh she enjoyed that way too much. She leaned up, and again, kissed the other woman deeply, her tongue flicking out but not entering Rain's mouth. Before the blonde pulled back however, she bit down on Rain's lip, hard enough to hurt, but not enough to draw blood. If that wasn't an obvious answer, than Rain was an idiot. Alice sat back, rather pleased with herself. Rain debated with herself before lunging forward again, pinning Alice right down on the wood floor, wrists at her sides. Alice squirmed a little against her, but Rain leaned down, and through her shirt, she bit at the other woman's nipples, letting her teeth at the sensitive flesh. When she didn't get even the slightest moan from the blonde, she decided skin to skin would be best. She slid the tank over Alice's head, only letting go of her arms for a millisecond before she went right back to her chest, biting away. Alice felt the tingles of pain blend into those of pleasure as they shot through her nerves. There was something so different about Rain than anyone else she had been with in the past. It was something that had an animalistic quality which she wasn't familiar with. However, that didn't stop her from enjoying it.

* * *

><p>Fidgeting against Rain's hold, Alice arched her back, which in turn only made the brunette bite harder. Instead, Alice moved her left leg out from under her, and wrapped it around her waist, pulling her in closer. Rain pulled up from her nipples, and grinned. "Be patient, Abernathy…or you're not getting anything."<p>

"I thought I owed _you_." Alice pointed out.

"Mmm, this is how I take IOU's." Rain grinned, kissing the blonde's supple lips again and again. Sure, it wasn't how most people thought sexual favours would go, but Rain was always a little different than the crowd. She kept her body close to Alice's and moved down to her neck, licking her tongue along her artery. She could feel the blonde's heart beating strong against her wet muscle. Pulling up a little, she grinned naughtily. "On your knees." Alice looked up at her confused, but then slowly did as she was told. "Turn around." Rain ordered again. Alice was listening to her. She liked this dominance that she had over the blonde. Alice obliged again, casting a curious look at the tanned woman. Rain then stripped herself out of her black tee shirt and bra, letting them fall to the floor. Before Alice could react, she had pressed her naked chest up to her bare back. She went back to gliding her tongue along Alice's pale and soft skin of her shoulder and neck. Sliding an arm around her waist, she only teased for a little while before spreading Alice's legs with her own knee, and that hand worked its way up to enter the other woman. Rain first used two fingers, set as a standard. Alice moaned gradually as she pushed them in as far as she could get them to.

* * *

><p>"Rain…" Alice mumbled under her breath. She hadn't been expecting this. The commando seemed to ignore her, and kept on with her barrage of thrusting with her wrist, twisting upwards to ever try and reach that elusive G-spot. Slowly, Rain pushed Alice forwards, and the blonde took the hint that she wanted her on her hands and knees. She obliged, and tried to sneak a look back.<br>"Head forward woman, or I stop." Rain threatened her. Alice did as she was ordered. She didn't want this to stop. Never. It felt so good, sending the shivers of pleasure all over her spine, and body. Rain knew what she was doing by the way she had Alice arching her back after a few minutes, calling out her name even louder. Rain waited for the perfect opportunity when Alice's warmth was already soaking her fingers. She slid one more finger in, spreading her fingers inside the blonde. Alice moaned loudly, her eyes closing tightly. She hit the waves of ecstasy one at a time, each growing more intense as she rode it out. Rain chuckled, feeling Alice's muscles contract and release around her hand. That in itself was a big turn on, getting someone to orgasm so easily and well done.

"That was…amazing…" Alice finally managed to sputter out. She had been rendered quite speechless for a moment there. The feeling of her release, all caused by another woman, racked her brain. She wished she had discovered women sooner before she had been married and tied down to Spence. But, Rain was making up for it. Still clinging to her back, Rain slid her hand out, and used her other one to turn Alice's head towards her, in for yet another kiss, chaste this time. When she pulled back, the brunette grinned sexily.

"Your turn." She said simply, rising to her feet. Alice did the same and faced her. She glanced around the room. Sure, the floor had served them well, but it wasn't that comfortable. Then the blue eyed blonde glanced to the couch. It looked old, and musty, but it was a couch none the less.

"Couch. Now." Alice smirked. Rain nodded, and sat down while she followed, and then straddled the brunette, kissing her lips fervently, nibbling here and there while their tongues moulded together, fighting for control. Meanwhile, Alice's hands drifted down to Rain's hips again, and they easily removed the belt on her pants, unbuttoning the fatigues. In one smooth, skilled motion, Alice slid off Rain's thighs, taking the black fatigues with her, exposing the commando's lower half. Alice could feel the heat eradiating off the other woman, and as she drew closer again, Alice could tell she was soaking wet. "I think after this," Alice paused, looking deeply into her dark eyes. "You'll be owing _me_."

* * *

><p>That was the last thing the blonde said before dipping down, spreading Rain's legs aprt, and immediately, she went in with her tongue as deep as she could. Rain gasped in surprise and leaned back into the couch hard. She had never really had the chance to have someone go down on her like this before. Guys always thought it was okay to give them oral, but they never reciprocated. She shook her head back and forth with the pleasure as Alice had at her, sucking and even biting her sensitive flesh. "Shit." Rain cursed as Alice began humming something while she worked. She had been expecting fingers, not tongue. This was so much at once, Rain found herself groaning out of control, her body bucking her hips up into Alice's face, driving her tongue in even a little tiny bit further. Alice began to bring her hands into play, and used her for finger and thumb to rub her clit, pinching it occasionally. Rain kicked out her leg from the pleasure, her body writhing uncontrollably. "Oh my God…" She cried out. She knew her end was nearing. At this rate, it was bound to happen; especially with Alice eating her out like there was no tomorrow. "Harder, harder…harder…" Rain began to beg for it. She needed it to go that extra mile.<p>

Tomorrow came a hell of a lot quicker than most. Alice knew she had the other woman quite literally wrapped around her tongue. She had Rain Ocampo begging for it. And soon enough, Rain screamed out Alice's name, God's name, and numerous other curses in Spanish that Alice had no idea what they meant. She bucked her hips up once more, holding it. Alice lapped up all of what she came, the taste sweet to her tongue. Rain was quite delicious in Alice's mind. The blonde came up, finally, getting a good deep breath of air. She carried a smirk on her face that just seemed like it could be etched there even in death. She had had Rain begging for more, and from how it was earlier, it was quite the change. Rain was still shaking a little at this point, trying to catch her breath. She opened her eyes after a solid two minutes, and Alice straddled her again, licking her lips slowly before whispering, "I take it, you liked that, huh?" Their lips met again, but not for long, as Rain was still way out of breath. She pressed her palm to the blonde's cheek.

"You...are a bitch."**  
><strong>


	6. Dangerous

**Chapter Five: Dangerous**

Morning came early, sunlight gently filtering in from the window, dust particles catching in the rays of light. Alice slowly opened her eyes. She was lying out flat out on the floor, face down, mouth hanging open. She wiped the drool from her lip, and sat up, groaning a bit as she felt her muscles tense from being on the floor all night. Rain was flopped over the couch, one leg over the back of it, the other hanging off the edge. She had her arms behind her head, relaxing in contrast to her splayed legs. Alice stood up, and found her shorts, and shirt, dressing slowly. Rain's chortles startled her.  
>"Nice view, Abernathy." The blonde turned, giving her a full view with a soft laugh.<p>

"You would enjoy this."

"G'morning to you too. " Rain grinned, sitting up. She had partially redressed after last night, only wearing her tee shirt. Her hair was quite the mess. Alice shook her head as she bent over to grab her duster coat by the doorway.

"Come on. We should get going."

"You need to work on your morning after talk."

"Sounds like I need to work up to someone else's standards." Alice shot back, smiling all the same. The pair of them had bantered on like this before. Rain eventually got up from her spot on the couch, dressing fully now.

"Hey, I ain't complaining about last night." Rain said defensively, standing in front of the other woman. "In fact, I'd like it to happen again, sometime soon preferably." She chuckled, leaning in to kiss the taller woman, reaching around and grabbing her ass without a word. Alice jumped a little, and just gently biffed the other woman in the arm.

"You're bad, you know that?"

"I know. Just go with it." The Latina winked and gathered the rest of her stuff. "C'mon, let's go."

* * *

><p>The two women soon left the farm house, and headed back for the abandoned highway, searching each empty car that they came across. So far, they had only found a bottle of Aspirin, tissues, and an extra blanket, all of which Alice packed away into her backpack. Sometimes, hours passed between them as they walked their way west, then south across the state. Alice knew they had to get a vehicle, but nothing sufficed what she wanted. Most cars were not meant for killing the undead, or protecting its passengers from fists that felt no pain when they broke the glass to get at them. As for the undead, the pair had only come across the odd few. The highway was rather desolate, and the only signs of life were Alice and Rain themselves.<p>

By late afternoon, they had reached the next big city over. Lansing, Michigan. Rain's limp had come back and she was fighting every step, until Alice put a hand to her shoulder, stopping the commando. "Hey. We can take a break."

"I am fine, woman. Seriously, we're almost there." Rain argued, and tried to move forward, but Alice held her back. Rain was confused at the woman's strength.

"Let me see it."

"Now is not the time for that, Abernathy. Seriously, what the fuck is wrong with you?"

"No not that! Your leg!" Alice rolled her eyes as they leaned against a pick-up truck on the highway leading into the city. Rain unbuckled her belt, the sound clinking as metal hit metal, and she dropped her fatigues. What was on her thigh was a gruesome sight. Blood was trickling out of the makeshift stitches. The area around the wound was a dark purple colour, and around the cut itself had a bit of yellow pus. The wound was infected.

* * *

><p>"Shit." Rain cussed, seeing how bad it was. It was nowhere near what it was last night. Last night it was fine, so she thought. But all the walking had irritated the bad stitching, and now she was paying for it.<br>"You need antibiotics, or else you're going to lose the leg or die." Alice said seriously, glancing to the city. Her blue eyes were hoping for a way in to find a pharmacy or hospital or something. Rain redid her pants up, and cracked her knuckles out of habit.

"Come on. What are we waiting for? We need to go in."

"There'll be a ton of the infected in there." The sound of the bolt of Rain's MP5k echoed in the quiet. In the distance, Alice could hear the moans of the undead. "Rain…just let me go, I'll bring it back. You stay." She turned to face the shorter woman.

"Oh hell no! I'm not staying out for fucking bait! I'm going with you Abernathy, and that is that."

Alice didn't want to argue, but Rain was being stubborn and stupid. "Fine. Try not to die on me, all right? I'd still like to have a fuck buddy at the end of this." She smiled. All she had to get in Rain's head was the mere idea of doing it again, and Rain was agreeing with her. Alice drew her pistols, figuring she'd get more use out of them than her combat shotgun. She slid out the magazine, checking how many rounds she had left. Fifteen each. Full rounds. This was good. "Let's steal a car." Alice suggested. It'd be easier to get around the city through the hordes if they had a ride. Rain obliged and broke a window with her bunt end of the submachine gun. There was no alarm, seeing as it was an old Ford pickup truck. It had a bench seat, regular cab, painted tan with dark brown accents. Rain began to hotwire it, and soon, it rumbled to life. In the distance, Alice swore she heard movements within the heart of the city. Rain stepped back, hobbling over to the passenger side. She couldn't drive, but she could sit shot-gun, firing rounds out the window if she had to. Alice got in the driver's seat, and put the truck's clutch in to gear and began driving. It was a heavy truck and slowly, it picked up speed as Alice dodged the parked cars.

* * *

><p>The highway was pretty packed coming out of the city, but as for going back in, it was empty. Alice turned the old pickup into what used to be the east side of the highway, and the drive was much easier, with only a few cars here and there. A good ten minute of steady driving had brought the two women into the city. Alice hit the brakes slightly as they rounded a corner. Before them, was a huge, enormous horde of the undead, listlessly walking and moaning. One looked up, and groaned louder at the sight. "Shit." Alice cursed under her breath, and revved the truck. Rain started to chuckled lowly, rolling down the window.<p>

"Come on you undead bastards, eat some of this!" She then fired out a magazine of her Mp5k, aiming carefully as they drove through the group. Thuds and grunts were made as the truck bashed through them like simple pylons. Alice kept control and drove city block to city block while Rain shot those that didn't get hit by the truck's huge front end. Spotting a hospital at long last, Alice drove right up to where the ambulances normally went. Though, they were off to the side, cars parked haphazardly around. Hospitals now gave Alice chills, but she knew she could find the right antibiotic for Rain's leg.

"You stay." She said, parking the truck by the entrance. Rain looked at her in disbelief.

"I'm not fucking staying in here, man. They'll come right through the windows with all the noise we just made." Rain pointed out, putting in a fresh magazine in her gun. Alice rolled her eyes, taking out her pistols as she adjusted the wires under the dash to stop the truck. That was one less noise to attract the walkers. She opened the door, glancing at Rain over her shoulder.

"Fine. But hurry your ass up." She started jogging off into the hospital, Rain struggling to catch up. Her leg began to pulse with pain around the cut. She cleared her throat, and pushed onwards into the hospital, catching up to the blonde. They spent ten minutes searching through the dimly lit hallways and patient rooms, only having to shoot a few of the undead here and there. At long last, Alice finally found the room she was looking for. They had kept the medications in various refrigerators. Rain leaned against the door frame, panting. It was still hurting her, quite badly, but she'd never admit it. Alice continued to dig through the fridge, trying to find anything, whether it was penicillin or some other antibiotic. It was hard to see, as the light that was left in the hospital carried a dark bluish, and eerie feeling. "Got it." She said finally, rising from her knees to her feet. She looked around the room for medical supplies, finding several needles and syringes. She cringed at the touch, flashing back to being in Raccoon City's hospital, getting experimented on. She then looked at Rain, and filled a syringe with ten cc's of the white liquid. The best place to jab it would've been closest to the wound, Alice thought. "Rain, drop your pants again."

"Abernathy, you are really startin' to sound desperate." She joked, and did as asked, wincing as Alice jabbed her in the rear end. "Damn, woman that is my ass you are jabbing into."

"You'll need a hell of a lot more of those to keep you going. I'd advise you to shut up about it now." Alice smirked, packing the bottle of penicillin and the unused needles and syringes into a plastic bag and into her backpack. "Come on, we need to get out of here."

* * *

><p>The rag tag duo continued their descent out of the hospital. Alice had to keep slowing up to accommodate for Rain. She had offered her arm to help carry her, but Rain refused. All in all, they could've escaped sooner, but instead took an extra ten minutes. "Come on, Rain, we're almost there." Alice slid open the glass doors, and the sight before her caused her breath to hitch. A horde of about a hundred had gathered at the entrance way to the hospital by the road. "Shit." She mumbled, glancing back to Rain. Alice still wasn't sure about her own powers, but she knew Rain was still just a normal human being with a leg injury. She went to Rain's side anyway, and without warning lifted her arm around her own shoulders, and practically almost carried the commando back to the Ford truck. She helped her in, slid across the seat and tried hot wiring it. Sparks were flying at each touch of the wires, but still, nothing was happening.<p>

"Come on Abernathy, they're getting closer, and I'm running out of bullets, man." Rain's normally confident voice was wavering as she reloaded her third last magazine of thirty rounds. She turned in her seat, and fired back out the window, only taking out a few of the first wave. Alice was struggling, cursing under her breath. The truck was not starting.

"Fuck, fuck fuck… Come on…" She kept at it, and still, nothing. She looked in the side mirror, and saw the horde advancing. She tried again with zero results. Growling in frustration, she drew her pistols, and got out of the truck, firing both at the same time. The gun shots echoed, moans escaped more of the undead as they began moving a smidgen faster. Alice's headshots were well timed, but they only took out thirty of the walkers. Rain had meanwhile limped out of the truck, around the front end of it, which was no longer chromed, but stained with coagulated blood. She panted as she stood beside the taller blonde.

* * *

><p>"Alice…we gotta make a break for it, man. They're coming too strong, and I know for a fact you ain't got enough bullets. Neither do I."<p>

"And how do you suggest we do that?" Alice asked, changing her magazines. Rain looked at her.

"Just carry me, and run like hell." Alice nodded, and then her arms were around the commando's shoulders, and under her knees. Alice had holstered her guns, while Rain kept on with the Mp5k. Alice's strength and speed enabled her to run, dodging the undead that tried to claw and grab both women. Rain fired away, doing her best to clear a path for Alice to run through.

Alice had no idea where she was running to. All she knew was that she had to get out of there and out of there quickly. The undead were slow, stumbling walkers, and Alice was sprinting the entire time, never out of breath until she kicked down the door of a two story house two blocks away. She let Rain down, and shut the door, locking it. Finally, her shortness of breath caught up to the blonde, and she put her hands on her knees, trying to just keep breathing. She hadn't been worried about herself, but more on Rain. The commando slowly hobbled over to Alice, and put a hand on her shoulder. "We're good. You got us outta there, man. We'll be okay."

"You…say that…now." Alice chuckled softly, coughing a bit as she stood up, looking Rain in the eyes. "I say…we stay here tonight."

"I'm in man. I think this place might even actually have a real bed this time." Rain joked as she began to hobble upstairs, gun still in her hands, just in case there were any surprise 'visitors' within the house. Alice was left laughing to herself. She and Rain had undoubtedly cheated death again.

* * *

><p>The night had come sooner, rather than later. Alice and Rain had again, holed themselves up to one room, and one room only. This time, it was the master bedroom of the classic Victorian era styled house. It was musty, and a little damp, but it was better than being out in the open. Alice made sure that Rain was well rested before giving her another dose of the antibiotics. Already, her leg was hurting less. It still looked infected though. Rain watched the blonde lean on the doorway from the bed, and smirked. "You just gonna stand there all night, and watch me, Abernathy, or what?"<p>

"Is this an open invitation?" She started to walk over, slowly.

"Maybe. I ain't sayin' no. I'm just thinking this bed would be a lot warmer with you in it." Rain smiled brightly, patting the other side of the king size bed. Alice shook her head jokingly, and clambered in after shrugging off her long duster coat, hanging it on the bed post. She kicked off her boots, and unholstered her pistols to rest on the bedside table, and the sleeve with the shotgun was left on the floor. She turned to rest on her side, facing the other woman, her chin in her hand.

"You and I, we make a good team." Alice pondered softly. After all they had gone through within the past two months, she felt a bond between her and Rain. It was unexplainable, really, but ever since the day she had woken up, and remembered everything about Raccoon City in Rain's arms, there was something, a feeling for the commando that couldn't be explained. It was just there.

"You call saving each other's asses by day, and screwing around by night being a good team?" Rain joked, reaching forward to tug Alice's chin down into a kiss. She stopped just before their lips met.

"Damn right I do." Alice responded playfully, closing the gap between them yet again. The kiss was held for a good minute, chaste and nothing special. Alice glanced to Rain's leg when they broke away.

"It's just my leg; don't mean you can't touch me anywhere else. Just means you gotta be on the bottom tonight." Rain's lips held her smirk. Alice rolled onto her back, and put her arms behind her head to rest. She looked to her left at Rain.

"Well then, come on and get it."


	7. Goodbye

**A/N: First, let me just apologise for the lack of updating this fanfiction. Life has taken quite some interesting turns (Mostly for the better) and I have not had time to sit down and write creatively between visiting my brother (Who recently had a lung transplant, and is now home from both the hospital and the rehabilitation facility he was staying in), and getting good marks to get into my 1st and 2nd choices for university. (I've been accepted into my 3rd choice at least.)  
><strong>

**So with that, let us begin, and I'll try to update this and finish it as soon as I can. This chapter took me three hours to write give or take. Please enjoy, read, and review as always. I appreciate all 23 of you who subscribed to this story. It's my most popular one to date!**

**Just a warning, please don't come after me with a pitch fork or a torch. The story will all tie together in the end, trust me.**

**-Mercs.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Six : Goodbye <strong>

"Come and get it?" Rain smirked, echoing the other woman's words, half an hour later as she slowly came up from between Alice's pale thighs, their skin tones in contrast with each other. The room had almost no light besides between the slat of the boarded up windows, and the bright moon shining in with one tiny ray. Rain slithered up, sweat, heat, and the smell of sex still lingered in the room. Alice met her with a soft, chaste kiss before the commando eased herself down onto the other side of the bed, getting under the covers. Her leg was still throbbing, but she wasn't about to say anything to Alice about it. Not until morning and only in that case if she absolutely had to. Rain met Alice's gaze once the blonde had recovered enough to speak.

"Round two?" Alice grinned, that playful glint in her pale eyes returning.

"We need sleep, Alice. Especially me."

"Well, if you're feeling randy in the middle of the night, don't hesitate to wake me." Alice smirked before rolling over onto her left side, tugging the cover over her body to her collar bone. She was tired, but mentally, her mind couldn't sleep. She and Rain had cheated death yet again. Somehow though, the luck had to run out eventually.

The next morning soon settled upon the eerie small town, the moans of the undead had kept Rain tossing throughout the night. She of course, with her wounded leg, couldn't turn, especially with Alice on her other side, half in her arms. When the minute the sun was up, Rain slid out of bed, testing the weight on her leg. It hurt, but it was doable. She could work with it, even if they had to book it out and away from the undead. She then gathered her clothes, tugging on her trousers and bra first before dropping to the floor to do her standard hundred push ups and sit ups. It was an old commando habit, one she wanted to keep to aid in keeping her sanity with everything that was going on. Half an hour later, Alice awoke with quite the start, gasping as she sat straight up, first not seeing Rain.

* * *

><p>"Rain!" She called, and the raven-haired woman jumped to her feet, wiping her brow.<p>

"Oh sorry, habit, you know?" She offered a smile. "C'mon, get your lazy ass outta bed. I thought we wanted to cover some ground today."

"All right, I'm comi – " Alice paused to yawn, wiping at her eyes. She too got out of bed, and redressed in her outfit, which she still thought was rather ridiculous, being that it was a tad over_kill_, but the blonde didn't bother to say anything. The coat was pretty bad ass, so she thought. Rain did have good taste. It could've been worse. Rain soon joined her, and Alice desperately looked around for her shotgun, when the shorter woman held it out for her.

"Nice piece, I have to say. Cleaned it for you earlier when I couldn't sleep."

"Oh, well uh, thanks." Alice smiled, taking the green sleeve that contained her Mossberg shotgun before sliding it over her torso and around her back. The pair made sure to check the house again before taking their bag of supplies out to the downstairs. Alice looked between the windows, and saw that some of the undead had left, others still paced around the pavement of the street.

"What's our plan?" Alice asked, looking to Rain.

"We need to find a vehicle that still works better than that truck."

"If we can get it started,"

"If." She added, interrupting the other woman, pacing with a slight limp, much less noticeable than the day before. "It's a big 'if', Alice. We need a diversion."

"A diversion? Are you saying we should split up?"

"Yes. I'm quiet, I can get around those bastards, using just my knife, I swear. If you can get them to follow you, and out run them, I can feel less stressed with the truck, and getting it to start. Once it starts, I can come drive to your position, you can jump in on the fly, and we get the hell outta here." Rain explained, taking a deep breath, brushing back her hair, and readjusting it behind with the string she took off the backpack to hold her hair out of the way. Alice bit her lip, trying to mentally plot out Rain's plan. In essence, it sounded reasonable, but in all practicality…

"What about your leg?" Alice said, her back to Rain as she stood, continuing to glance at the slat between the boards near the window.

"My leg is fine. Come on, we can do this. We're a team, Alice." She replied, standing in closer, right behind the blonde. She lifted her chin to reach the much taller woman's should in order to whisper in her ear."You trust me, don't you?" Alice froze up slightly at the sudden closeness, and the hot breaths of the other woman. She turned her gaze downward and sideways briefly.

"I just don't want to lose you." She whispered in return, turning to face Rain. "I cannot afford to lose you, not again." At Alice's sudden confession, Rain tilted her head curiously. She had not expected Alice to actually feel something like this, and much less hearing her express it using her words. Rain took Alice's slender hands in her own.

"You're not gonna lose me, Alice." Rain returned, her brown eyes meeting Alice's, which in this light were a shade of green jade. She gave the hands a squeeze, and Alice returned it. "I promise you. You're not gonna lose me." Rain tugged her in for a soft kiss, a parting one. They probably wouldn't have alone time like this, at least, not until the next night.

* * *

><p>After a few minutes of silence, Alice kicked open the door, and Rain began heading for the truck through dodgy alleyways and backyards of houses. Alice remained in the front, first taking care of the few infected lingering in the small side street. Her gunshots rang out in the cool morning air, the sun starting to create a pink sky along the eastern horizon. She dropped them like flies, her magazines fresh. It only took one well aimed shot, Alice knew, and those were all that she took as she began to kill all the undead heading towards her, attracted by the sound.<p>

Meanwhile, Rain had slowed up after vaulting over one six foot wooden fence, landing on her bad leg. She winced, biting hard on her lip to keep from crying out, and to keep from giving away her position to any possible infected in said yards or in the broken down houses. The pain was shooting up her leg. The antibiotics had cut down on the slight infection, but that still didn't mean it was hindering her ability to walk, run, and jump. Taking a deep breath, she regained composure and began hobbling through the garden of one house, around the gate, an out to another side street, three blocks over, nearing the hospital that the truck was parked nearby. What she didn't expect to see was the same horde from the night before, still lingering around the hospital like ghosts hovering around graves; Lifeless beings with no intents besides to quell their hunger through finding live human flesh. Rain's throat tightened at the sight. There had to be hundreds of them, if not a thousand, crowding together in the street in and around the truck. Where was Alice? Why hadn't she started to clear them out yet? Rain's panic began to rise. What if they sensed her? Lurking back into the shadows, Rain hid behind a garbage dumpster, panting. She patted her leg, wincing when she hit the wound directly through her black fatigues. "Fuck…" She panted again, closing her eyes. Suddenly, she heard a sound, and a rustle in the alley. Lurching back up, she let out a string of whispered cusses as she used her right leg again to lift herself. There were several garbage bags on one side of the alley, and cans on the other. The rustling was hard to pin point, and drawing her knife, the commando spun around the best she could. The pain in her leg was getting to be too unbearable, and she had to lean against the brick wall of a building. She hung her head for a second, when she suddenly felt the cold, slimy grasp of a hand on her arm. With a surprised yelp, Rain turned, ramming her knife forward without second thought, stabbing it into the undead woman's skull. She wrenched it in, then out, and in again, shoving the thing back. Rain looked around, and suddenly, saw three more walking in through the shadows. Without hesitation, she began towards them, only to cry out when she felt tearing of her skin beneath her trousers. She collapsed to the ground, pushed herself up with her hands to one knee, enough to reach for the first infected creature, pulling it down to her level to stab it through its one remaining eye. With several grunts, Rain repeated the process for the second undead, managing to barely stand on her feet, almost falling into the wall. The third undead, a rather large and hulking one at that, came for her in slow footsteps. Rain then took her knife, and skillfully threw it, driving it into the thing's face. It fell with a thud, and the only sounds that could be heard in the alley were Rain's breaths. She reached down, grabbed her knife, and cleaned it off on the undead's ripped clothing. She prayed with what energy she had left, that Alice would come soon enough to distract the mega horde. She could do it, couldn't she? They'd make it, Rain would make it; she promised Alice that much.

* * *

><p>Alice began running as soon as she rounded the corner. There was so many of them, that even she felt a slight panic rise up in her chest. There was no way. No way would that she get that many of them rerouted for Rain to get to the truck in time to hotwire it. However, she began dispensing rounds from her shot gun instead of her pistols, blasting back five or six of the undead at a time. It was clearing them, but she was running out of shotgun shells. They began to slowly head to her direction, but not enough of them were moving. She grabbed a few by hand; snapping necks like it was no one's business. Alice's coat trailed behind her movements, and she even went so far as to kick and punch them to save ammo. Eventually, she took off at a slight jog, firing back shots. Moans echoed in the small suburban block, and the sky began to turn to a light blue as the sun began to rise up even more. Alice snarled a little as she gave a wolf whistle. "Come on, bring you undead bastards!" She called out, hoping to get their attention. She then redirected them down another main street, away from the hospital. The horde began to catch up, and Alice found herself turning around to shoot them back, chunks of rotting flesh and hide littering the black and grey asphalt. The street opened up to what used to be a main strip mall for the city, and Alice saw her opportunity. Several parked cars were left behind, and once she had a good enough following, she holstered the shotgun over her back, and drew her pistols, cocking the mechanisms. She turned to face the undead creatures coming for her, and taking aim, she counted a beat in her head, guns aimed for the fuel tank in a rather large Chevy Tahoe. <em>5… 4… 3… 2… 1…<em>

* * *

><p>Rain nearly jumped when she heard a rather loud explosion in the distance. She hoped it was Alice's doing, and not someone or something else getting her. With a deep breath, Rain began to head towards the truck, hobbling along. She put the pain in the back of her mind. <em>Come on, almost there. Another hundred yards. Do this for her.<em> Rain was another fifty yards from the truck, combat knife still out when suddenly; multiple sets of hands grabbed her from behind the awning of the emergency room entrance of the hospital. Rain cried out, struggling as she sliced towards the hands, unable to cut through. She faltered in her gait, hitting the pavement as she lost her balance. Her shoulder took the impact with a sickening crunch, her knife clattering away. She kicked at the five undead standing above her, unable to get them away. She then began back crawling towards the truck, peddling back as fast as she could, the pain in her body almost overwhelming. She grabbed her knife with her left hand, attempting to stab any of the creatures who came near her. However, with the fact that there were five of the undead after her, she couldn't defend herself effectively, and the horrible sinking feeling of teeth grabbing and slicing through her flesh of her shoulder as they dropped to their knees around her. She screamed, and punched the thing back, reaching the truck. She scrambled up and into it, slamming the door. The pain caused her to feel dizzy, and her left hand just wasn't cutting it. The infected clawed at the door, pressing against the glass of the old brown and cream ford. She felt the site of the bite sting, hot blood pouring down her arm in dark red streaks. She fumbled around the truck, trying to find the right wire, but her vision began blurring. _Come on, you can… you can do this…_

* * *

><p>From the distance Alice was at, and the fire that surrounded her position now, she still heard a distant scream. Ignoring the previous plan, Alice ran through the spewed and exploded chunks of undead that littered the main strip, along with pieces of the Tahoe. She sprinted through the rest of the undead, elbowing and shoving them back. She saw the truck, and five of the undead scratching to get in. Panicking, Alice made a beeline for the pick-up, shooting the ones at the door first. As their weight was released, the driver's side door opened, and Rain's form slowly slid out.<p>

"Alice… h-help me," Rain stammered, blood covering her torso from a wound on the arm. Alice felt her heart sink. At once, Alice hurried to her side, putting her back in the truck on the passenger's side. Holstering a gun, Alice got the wires to zap together, and the engine roared to life. She slammed the door, backed up, and soon drove off. She casted her side glances to Rain every second, making sure she was still there. One hand on the wheel, the other went to take Rain's in her own.

"We're gonna be okay. We're gonna get the hell out of here, Rain. Stay with me. Please, stay with me here."

* * *

><p>"I'm… I'm not gonna make it." Rain piped up after ten minutes of silence. It was enough time to get out of the city, away from the gigantic horde. "You and I, we both know it."<p>

"Rain," Alice slowed the truck, and pulled off the highway, parking the truck.

"C'mon, you and I both -" Rain stopped as she began to cough, sputtering a bit of blood down her front. Alice slid over to her, meeting Rain's lowered gaze. "T-take care, Alice…" Rain grabbed the gun that Alice had put on the dashboard with a shaky grip.

Alice felt her lip twitch as the commando took the gun. Rain continued on. "Y-you can only c-cheat death s-so many times before… before it gets you for good." She coughed again, and Alice used her coat sleeve to wipe the blood off Rain's mouth. "K-kiss me, you bitch." She brought a slight, semi-lopsided smile to her lips, and Alice felt her tears well at the corners of her eyes. She leaned in and this time, planted a deep kiss to the other woman's lips. Alice let the tears drop as she noticed Rain's skin was much colder. What she didn't notice was the fact that Rain had brought up the Nite-Tac pistol to her throat, tilting it up. Alice just pulled away from her lips, slightly, wanting to linger.

"Goodbye, _mi amor."_


	8. End of the Dream

**A/N: Let it just be said, I apologise for the HUGE gap in updates. Life, school, and other things have been so busy for me, it's crazy. But now that I have less than a month left of high school, I plan on finishing up my major fics before I start any other projects. Including this one. On that note, I got accepted into the University of Western Ontario for sociology, so that's all fine and dandy.**

**Just when you think last chapter was the end, you were wrong. PS if this at any point confuses you, Private Message me, and we can discuss it. Otherwise, enjoy one of the final chapters of Rusted from the Rain!  
><strong>

**-Mercs.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Seven: End of the Dream<strong>

Alice suddenly jolted awake, feeling the back of her neck and chest covered in a cold, damp sweat. She had the covers all tangled around her body, wrapped uncomfortably tight around her torso. She panted deeply, chest rising and falling rapidly, blue eyes glancing around as she sat up. The panic in her chest finally calmed when she heard the soft snore of her Latina lover beside her.

"Rain?" She called softly, nudging her muscular shoulder. Rain stirred slightly, and rolled over, opening her eyes.

"You havin' nightmares again?" Rain whispered, reaching for her hand. Her thumb gently caressed over the back of Alice's hand softly.

"Yeah, you could say that." The blonde replied hoarsely, leaning into the touch. Rain met Alice's glance tiredly, and then sat up on the edge of the bed.

"I don't know what you've got nightmares about, but it must be something bad with the way you whimper in your sleep."

Alice sighed, and mirrored Rain's motion, and looked down at her bare feet, elbows resting on her knees. She rubbed her face, brushing back her wild, thick locks of sandy blonde hair. The shaven part had already started to grow in on the side of her head, and the hair felt soft and silky beneath her rough fingertips. Rain got off the bed, and the bed springs squeaked slightly with the release of the weight. Alice only shot a casual glance behind her, seeing that Rain had slept in nothing but panties, leaving the bra out of the question. Alice turned her gaze back to the wooden floor, studying the variations of the dirty wood grain. She couldn't place her nightmares to be certain, but they were most definitely realistic, and absolutely petrifying.

"Maybe it's crazy," Alice began.

"Fuck, you're calling your dreams crazy when there are flesh eating monsters out there?" Rain called back, leaning against the frosted over window with her bare chest to cool her core body temperature. Alice glowered over her shoulder at Rain, eyes a steel grey-blue in the dimly lit room.

"Rain, if you only knew…"

"Tell me then." Rain stepped forward, satisfied now that she wasn't overheated. She walked around to Alice's side of the bed, and sat down beside her, glancing up with curious brown eyes. Her harsh expression was relieved to something much softer, something more considerate and caring. She put a reassuring hand on Alice's thigh, just above the knee, and gave it a squeeze. "Alice, what's in your dreams?" Alice sighed, closing her eyes.

"I just… I keep seeing everything. Death, over, and over again. People we knew like… like Matt, Lisa, JD, Kaplan, One… hell, even Spence, just over and over again. Every time it gets worse, more gruesome, and I can't get it out of my head. I just can't!" Alice exclaimed, shaking slightly as she felt a sudden chill ascend her spine. She brought her hand up to her mouth, biting down on the side of her forefinger. Flashes of nightmares remained in her mind's sight.

Rain gently reached for Alice's hand in both of her own. "Listen, Alice, it's been a hell of a ride so far, but… you know things, things can get better. We just gotta keep strong, you know? We've got each other, we've got enough guns and ammo, we've got food and water… we can survive this."

"How… how can you be so sure?" Alice's voice dwindled down to a raspy whisper, side glancing at Rain who had shifted to be closer together, knees touching.

"I dunno, I just got a gut feelin'. It's just you and me against the world these days…" Alice nodded, glancing at Rain before leaning in for a kiss. It was nothing special, more of a reassurance peck on the lips. However, as Alice went to pull away, she suddenly felt dizziness hinder her vision, a strong knot in her stomach. She turned away, and slunk down onto the bed. _"Alice? What the hell? Alice? You okay? Alice!" _

* * *

><p>Jolting awake yet again, Alice gasped, blue eyes widening as far as they could. The reminiscing with Rain plagued her mental state, whether it was in nightmares, daydreams or her thoughts, it haunted her, progressively getting worse as more time passed. The dirty blonde soon remembered where she was as her gaze was fixated upon the ceiling of the Dusty Trail Motel and its cracked drywall and broken light fixtures. She felt her jagged bangs stuck to her forehead, again held down by a layer of sweat, though this time it was caused by the heat of the surrounding dried up world left in a desolate desert.<p>

Alice slowly moved to sit up, feeling a dull pain in the back of her head. She shifted, noting that she was only down to wearing her shorts, leggings, and white tank top as opposed to her full gear that Rain had found for her in what felt like ages ago. The blonde turned her gaze, and nearly jumped, reaching for the guns that were no longer in her thigh holsters. There was another female figure sitting across from Alice, hair red like the colour of bricks, eyes like green olives. Alice took a moment to compose herself.

"Who are you?"

"I'm Claire. Claire Redfield." She introduced herself calmly, as if this had been rehearsed for when Alice awoke. Alice looked around blankly before the memory came back; the infected crows, the fire, the telekinesis, and the redhead who had run out to catch her before she passed out. _Claire. _ "And you are?"

"My name… is Alice." She responded softly, her voice cracking from the lack of use. It had been years since she and Rain had been departed yet again by death, though this time, there was no bringing back her lover. The thought had Alice's stomach walls clenching together again, more likely than from a lack of anything in it. "How long was I out?"

"You came to us late in the morning yesterday… it's now early, a half hour after sunrise." Claire informed her, fiddling with something in her hands. Alice glanced to her hands, realising it was a ball cap with some kind of dark green circular logo on the front. Claire noticed the strange woman's gaze and stopped her fidgeting.

"And… your people, are they – "

"We lost a few survivors. Good people." Claire stated. "But, without you showing up, we would've lost a lot more. So, I guess I have to thank you for what you did, Alice."

"I did what I felt I had to. This has been the first time I've been around people in five years." Alice admitted, figuring being honest in this situation was the best. After all, Claire had been smart enough to disarm her while she was unconscious, and had left her weapons on the other side of the room on top of the reception counter. Alice also noticed the woman wore a dual holster set up, but only had one pistol in the right hand holster.

"How long do you intend on staying?" Claire asked out of the blue when silence had fallen between them.

"If you'll have me, I don't know." Alice replied, reaching to stuff her feet into her boots as she swung her legs over the edge of the musty brown couch to the floor. "It's just safer. People have a bad habit of dying around me." Alice turned her gaze to focusing on putting on her boots one at a time, lacing them up and retightening where it had gone loose. She suddenly felt a touch on her shoulder as Claire had moved herself close enough to Alice to reach out and touch her.

"Not just you." She said softly, eyes filled with care. Alice couldn't break her gaze away from the woman, at least for a good minute. Then she was back to looking at her gloved hands. Claire removed her grasp of the blonde's shoulder, feeling the not so warm response from the stranger. "I'm sorry, for whatever you've had to go through, Alice. But know that if you want to stay with my convoy, you are more than welcome to. Without you, we probably all would be dead right now."

Claire stood up, putting her ball cap back on, tucking her tendrils of burgundy hair behind her ears before heading for the door. "I have burials I need to attend to." She stated, mostly to herself, though she knew Alice was watching her every movement. As she reached the door, she went to exit, tugging the old frame towards herself when she stopped. She looked over her bare shoulder at the shaggily haired woman. "And Alice?"

"Yes?"

"When you were out for a bit earlier this morning, you kept mumbling something about rain… I don't know what you're thinking, but you can keep on dreaming. This place is a desert hell hole."

* * *

><p><strong>AN #2: So I just went all Inception on you there. Keep holding on. There will be more Alice & Rain, don't you worry. Just because she's dead doesn't mean it can't be written. ;)**


	9. Boulevard of Broken Dreams

**A/N: Two chapters in two days? What? I've been on a roll lately, and I really want to finish this story up, along with the other ones. Late nights spent writing, mornings spent editing and posting them. So, this story has one more chapter, and then a short epilogue to wrap it all up. I thank all of you for subbing and faving this story, and I hope you enjoy this next chapter!**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Eight: Boulevard of Broken Dreams<strong>

Alice had slowly gathered her belongings, which Claire had conveniently left out for her on the table in the reception room of the motel. She slowly shrugged on her duster coat, sheathing her fifteen inch kukri blades that she had found along her travels alone back into her waist band above her backside. She holstered her .45 calibre pistols into their holders on her thighs, and slung her shotgun over her back with practised ease. Taking a breath as she wrapped her shawl over her head and neck, she exited the motel, seeing the remaining survivors of the convoy lined to pay their respects to the graves of their fallen brethren marked with makeshift wooden crosses. Alice glanced across, keeping her distance. Claire turned her head once, seeing movement from the corner of her eye. She met Alice's glance, to which the dirty blonde only nodded and stood away from the group, never getting another stare.

After the grim funeral finished, and the convoy moved back to their camp away from the motel, Alice found herself simply observing the members. They varied in age from very young to middle aged, and older, both equal in men and women. They looked haggard, sore, and tired of it all. Alice could sense some glances her way when they disbanded from the grave markers, and she merely stared off into the distance. She knew after her fandango with killing the crows via means of a firestorm that she was going to be questioned to the third degree about her past, and why she had these powers. She hoped she could just talk to Claire; she felt it would be much easier to tell the leader of the convoy who could simply relay the message. Besides, if the leader was accepting of her presence, then the others would notice and follow Claire's example.

* * *

><p>For the first few days, Alice was the quiet drifter of the convoy. She didn't speak to people unless they spoke to her first, usually asking about her past. When she muttered about Umbrella, most turned their backs the other way, and forget they ever asked her. Only Claire spoke to her, making sure she at least got a quarter of a can of food from the supply truck run by a man named Otto. Alice never felt hungry enough to even want that measly quarter, but Claire insisted that she'd eat something at least.<p>

By the third day, the convoy was on the move again. Claire had opted to take Alice with her and the blonde girl, known as K-mart, in the bright, armoured, yellow H2 Hummer truck. She rode shotgun, but only kept her gaze out the window as they passed numerous sand dunes, and broken infrastructure of the roadside gas stations and shacks that used to be homes. Nevada was cruel, though it was one of the only places Alice had found solace. Empty deserts with only the odd breeze to keep her company, Alice had found for the first few years since she and Rain had parted ways to be relatively easy. Now however with other people involved, she didn't want an attachment; at least, nothing on the same level as the former commando had taken over her heart.

"So where did you say you were from?" Claire's soft voice broke Alice's thoughts, and she casually glanced over her shoulder at the other woman who had her eyes shielded by black aviators.

"Detroit originally, though when I used to work for Umbrella, I moved directly to Raccoon City."

"They say it was nuked when the first attacks happened."

"They weren't lying." Alice said dryly, looking back out the window at the endless sands. She saw the other trucks of the convoy in the side mirror, keeping the space between each vehicle.

"And you said they experimented on you?"

"Unfortunately, yes." Alice sighed. Of the past three days, she swore she had told Claire all this, but yet again, even in the young teen's presence, Claire wanted her story to be drawn out.

"Do you remember any of it?" Claire pressed on after a few minutes of silence. K-mart glanced between them from the backseats, her dark eyes assessing each woman's facial reactions. Alice rubbed the side of her head where her shaggy blonde locks had long grown in. She needed to cut them down with the kukri blades when she had the time again.

"I remember everything," Alice replied sternly. "but I would rather not tell it." With a slight exhale, Claire backed down on her semi-interrogation, and kept her eyes to the road once more.

"K-mart, how's the studying coming along?" Claire asked, glancing in the rear-view mirror. K-mart shifted back into her corner, grabbing the solid covered book that was about two inches thick, and proceeded to open it back up to the page she had dog tagged.

"It's… it's coming."

"Good. We've got another six hours on the road, might as well keep yourself entertained."

"Sure thing, Claire."

* * *

><p>The six hours Claire had mentioned dragged on for Alice. She missed the feeling of her freedom being on a motorcycle, feeling the rumbling engine and its raw power beneath her. She missed being alone, but even more than that she missed Rain and her companionship, her love. Claire had become a friend in the very least, for allowing Alice to stay with the convoy but Alice never felt anything more than just an awkward acquaintance looking for a place to keep shelter with. A stray. During the halfway mark, K-mart had yawned repeatedly before putting her text book away in the pouch on the back of the passenger seat, and curled up over the backseats for a nap. Claire noticed it too, and took the time to attempt a conversation with Alice again.<p>

"Did you ever travel in a group before?" Claire's question caught Alice off guard, and she cleared her throat.

"I… yes." She admitted without second thought. "A small one… for a small period of time." She said, thinking of LJ, Carlos, and Angie, closing her eyes, imagining their faces behind her eyelids.

"What happened?" Claire asked innocently.

"They… they were killed. All of them." She said softly, shifting in the leather seat, crossing one leg over the other, arms folded across her chest.

"I'm sorry to hear. Things haven't been easy for anyone these days. This convoy used to have fifty people. Now, we're down to twenty-seven, and I just can't help but think that something else will happen, and we'll lose more. It's like it's inevitable, that Umbrella has royally fucked us all over just to die out."

"At least you can die." Alice replied dismally under her breath.

"What?" Claire set the cruise control on the Hummer for a brief moment to turn her head to look at Alice in the eyes.

"The T-Virus that is in my blood allows my injuries to heal, and death to not occur, at least, not very easily." Alice sighed, rubbing her face. "For a while, I thought about it. Ending it all."

"What stopped you besides not being able to really find a way?"

"This convoy, I guess. Using these powers to save people…"

"Hey," Claire reached over and put a hand to Alice's forearm. "You've done a great thing."

"For your group, yes. Those that I have lost, I was unable to save." She moved her arm so Claire couldn't reach. "And now I'm paying for it."

Claire turned back to the round again, picking up the radio to tell orders to Chase, Otto, and the others were they were going to park for the night. She had looked ahead, and found a relatively open area surrounded by large dunes that would provide difficult for any of the undead to traverse effectively towards them. Alice had dozed off quickly for a small nap and by the time they had arrived, parked, and had begun to set up camp, she was completely out of it. Even when K-mart called her name, Alice did not wake. Leaving her to be, Claire and the others began to set up for the night.

* * *

><p><em> "Rain! Rain!" Alice found herself screaming out the other woman's name, seeing those clad in white suits dragging her away forcibly without letting go.<em>

_"This one's been bit. I want her in the Survivor program. I want her quarantined, close observation and a full series of blood tests. Let's see if she's infected. Take her to the Raccoon City facility. Then assemble the team. We're reopening the Hive. I want to know what went on down there. Just do it. "  
><em>

_Feeling cold hands on her torso, Alice began running through a blend of time, blurred and distant. She saw Rain flashing in and out of her sights, being so close to touch, and yet so far away, blood dripping from her bite wounds. She was suddenly then in Alice's arms, her skin a healthy colour, hair long and flowing in waves not seen too often by anyone else._

_"I could kiss you, you bitch." Rain said with a goofy grin on her face. Alice returned the smile, leaning down to kiss her, when things changed around again. Rain was gone; Alice was alone, feeling pain in her side, laying on cold concrete. When she glanced up, she saw the commando fighting hand to hand combat with a horde of gruesomely rotting undead, using her kicks and punches to send them back. Alice attempted to move, but with no force in her body, she remained. Rain took a bite to the shoulder, then the arm, then the leg, and slowly was brought down kicking and screaming Alice's name. Alice had to watch in horror, seeing the Latina shredded to pieces by means of the infected horde._

_"RAIN! RAAAAAAAAAAAAINNNN!"_

* * *

><p>"Alice? Alice?" Claire's voice came to Alice's ears in the dark cabin of the Hummer truck. The blonde opened her eyes, which suddenly became wet with rapid tears rolling down her cheeks. She was curled up in the passenger seat, back to the door. Claire was next to her, and K-mart had gone to sleep in the tanker truck where there was more room in the cabin to lay down. "Alice! Shhh… it was just a dream…" The redhead hovered over Alice, taking her hands in hers. Alice however continued to sob, pulling one away to wipe at her tears. Her lithe body shook with each one. Enough was enough. All her feelings of that night she lost Rain were too much to keep bottled up anymore. The nightmares just kept getting worse and worse.<p>

"It just… it just keeps coming back." She cried softly, sniffling. Claire's brows furrowed together, squeezing the hand in both of hers.

"What does, Alice?"

"When… when I said I lost people… I lost someone close to me. So close… she cheated death once, but then.. then she got bit again, and… I couldn't save her. Rain died because of me."

"Oh, Alice…" Claire pursed her lips, realising the traumatic loss the woman had endured. A loved one, gone after so many years. She presumed Rain was someone she had had a relationship with, a strong and trusting bond.

"You don't understand," Alice whimpered, her eyes stinging from the salt in the tears. "I just had to… had to leave her there, to rot away."

"You didn't have somewhere to bury her?"

"I…" Alice closed her eyes, shuddering. She returned the squeeze against her left hand, and shifted to sit up in the passenger seat of the truck. "We had been running the hell out of the way from a horde from this house we were hiding in overnight back in a small town in Michigan. We had a truck, and we ran to it, but the thing was… she had gotten bit on the way. We got in, and- and- she embraced me, took my gun, told me 'Goodbye, mi amor', but…" Alice felt all choked up again, and Claire moved her hand to rub the older woman's shoulder for reassurance.

"What happened?" Claire whispered softly, maintaining the contact.

"I looked up, thinking she was going to pull the trigger, and she had turned already. She had the look in her eyes, the pale irises. I knew I was cornered, and she had dropped my gun to the floor of the pickup truck, so…" Alice took in a deep breath. "I pushed her out of the door on my side after throwing it open… I let her go into the horde… as one of their brethren."

Claire let the state of shock hit her as Alice had finally explained what had happened. The trauma of that alone had Claire welling up with tears of her own. Especially to see such a strong, _non-human_ woman broken down to nothing. Loss hit everyone, and hit everyone hard. In this day and age. Alice glanced to Claire, and eventually had calmed down enough to stop crying.

"This is why I need to leave."

"Leave?" Claire questioned.

"I need to put Rain to rest."


	10. Oh, the Sun Will Shine Again

**A/N: This is the last chapter, however this is NOT the last part of the story. There will be an epilogue to follow, to send closure for this fiction. Honestly, I feel I've picked this back up, and have gotten lovely words of praise from numerous fans. So, keep the reviews coming, and keep reading! Next on the docket after this fiction is finished will be Resident Evil: Retribution!**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Nine: Oh, the Sun Will Shine Again<strong>

"Alice, what are you doing?" The convoy leader questioned as she noted the other woman was going through her things stacked in the back of the Hummer. It was early morning, the sun just beginning to peek out from the horizon, clouds still hovering low in the sky in shades of dark grey over the desert.

"I need to leave." came Alice's distant reply.

"Leave! What do you mean, 'leave'?" Claire asked again, pressing the subject. Alice continued to work on putting her holsters back on while in the empty backseat.

"I said I had to put Rain to rest."

"I thought you meant figuratively!"

"No." Alice said curtly, and then grabbed the door handle about to leave the truck.

"It's the middle of the night!"

"So?" Alice paused before exiting the truck, boots hitting the desert sand with a crunch. She shut the door moderately hard without realising the thud it made. With an irritated sigh, Claire jumped out, shoving her hat over her messy red hair. She pursued the other woman, grabbing her by the shoulder.

* * *

><p>"Then let me go with you."<p>

Alice stopped again, not facing Claire. "This isn't something you need to abandon the convoy for."

"We have nowhere else to go, and I'm sick of this desert." Alice turned around, slightly baffled.

"You want to risk using up all your fuel to follow me and go to Michigan to find one infected who used to be a human I loved?"

"Alice, after saving my convoy, saving my people from utter extinction, I can't repay you enough. If you go…"

"You don't have to repay me." The blonde said coldly once more. Enough was enough, and she began picking up the pace once more, trudging through the sand, her boots creaking. Claire huffed, and ran to catch up again.

* * *

><p>"God dammit, Alice! Stop!" She called, not caring if the convoy heard them and woke from their slumbers.<p>

"For what?" Alice growled back, whipping around. The trail of her duster coat followed her swift motion, and settled around her knees once again. "I only came for the bleak hope that maybe I had imagined Rain was dead, that it was all some sick fucking nightmare that I had to shove her out of that truck!" Alice snapped, stepping right up into Claire's space now. "Don't you even try to get yourself this involved with me! Don't you even dare!" Alice's hoarse voice came out in a harsh growl. Claire however, stood her ground.

"My people have been dying long before you showed up! Sickness, lack of food and nutrition… infection itself! You saved us all, Alice, and now you're just going to leave? To put down an old friend for good?"

"She was more than that." Alice's nostrils flared. "What didn't you understand when I said I loved her, huh?" The blonde had hair hanging in front of her blue-green irises, watching Claire's every movement, every twitch in every muscle. After hearing Alice's voice and tone change, she knew the other woman was telling the truth. It was much more than just a close friendship. This Rain woman and Alice had been lovers. Claire inhaled deeply, finally meeting Alice's intense gaze.

"Go then." She said softly, putting her hand on Alice's arm. "But Alice?"

"Yeah?"

"Promise me you'll come back. If another attack happens, I don't know if we'll survive it." Claire answered, glancing over the soon to be rising convoy members."Please." Alice stepped away from Claire's touch on her arm, decisions running their benefits and costs in her mind. She took a few steps heading north before stopping, glancing over her shoulder at the younger woman.

"I'll see what I can do. Until then," She replied, giving a soft salute. Once she turned however, she never once looked back. She had a mission to complete; her priorities were to find Rain first and foremost. As for the convoy, she wasn't sure. She felt no incline to return, at least, not for a while.

* * *

><p>Alice spent no time stopping for the night, not when she had no need to. Her body didn't feel tired, her stomach didn't feel hungry, and she barely felt thirsty, if at all. With her mind focused on finding Rain, she could only count the days until she would get to the small Michigan town where everything had gone down in the first place. Being lucky enough to find a worn down two-door car with just a quarter of a tank was good enough to travel across the rest of the mid-west, and after a week of travelling, she had forgotten the faces of the convoy, and only had Rain's image in her head.<p>

Once Alice had left the convoy almost as quickly as she had come, Claire wondered if at any point the dirty blonde would turn around and come back. She figured, however, that the woman's conviction was strong as her fighting ability was against the undead; irrefutable. Those ocean blue and green eyes had left a burning hole in Claire's subconscious, wondering what she was up to, or how far she had made it. The convoy itself had been slow moving, now with only twenty-five people, including the teen girl nicknamed K-mart that Claire had taken in under her wing after having a sweet spot for the young, orphaned girl.

* * *

><p>"Do you think she'll ever come back?" K-mart piped up during the late evening when the convoy had set up camp for the night. Claire was with her feet up on the dashboard of the Hummer, hat down over her eyes. She was trying to sleep, but was failing miserably. Giving up until later, Claire sat up, lifting her ball cap.<p>

"I don't know."

"Why did she leave anyway? You haven't said a word about Alice since she left that one night."

"K," Claire sighed. "She had… unfinished business to attend to."

"Is that what she said or are you just paraphrasing it?" Claire furrowed her auburn brows.

"Didn't think fourteen year olds knew such big words."

"I'm fifteen, and that's what happens when you're stuck with a dictionary to read. So," K-mart pressed on. "Are you just making that up or what?"

"No, she … lost someone to the infection, someone she didn't have the chance to… to put down."

"Oh," K-mart's face fell, her brown eyes glancing out the window. "So why go back now when they're probably either gone somewhere else?"

"I don't know, K-mart. Never got to ask Alice. All I know is that it was a person she loved." Claire sighed again, trying to fix her hair. She'd give anything for a hair tie to tie it back into a pony tail to keep it out of her face once in a while.

"Oh." K-mart repeated her answer once more, fiddling with the dictionary in her hand. "Do you think we'll survive this, Claire?"

"I don't know, K-mart. I really don't know…"

* * *

><p>Reaching Michigan after a week and a half of travelling part by car, and the rest by foot, Alice had made it to the small town near Flint where she and Rain had spent their last night together so many years ago. Things hadn't really changed, besides the fact that everything including vegetation and the rivers had dried up. As opposed to sand, there were patches of dirt where patches of grass used to line the edges of people's driveways, and in the parks, playgrounds stood, eerily lifeless. Alice came across a park swing set, creaking in the tiny breeze. Her guns remained holstered; her blood didn't sense any infected in the nearby vicinity. It was strange; at least the undead in cities usually walked around until weather wore them away. Could the undead die from starvation? It seemed unlikely in Alice's mind.<p>

Continuing through the town, she began to hear the all too familiar groans of the undead. Instead of drawing her two Para-Ordinance Nite Tac .45 calibre pistols, she stuck for the fifteen inch curved kukri blades. Silence was always better; the gunshots always attracted more of them by the horde. The blades glinted in the soft sunlight that was filtering in through overcast clouds, providing enough heat that she was able to withstand, but not too much that it caused a sweat. Finding Rain as one of the undead would provide to be difficult, especially with the growing numbers. However, Alice as determined as she was, would kill every single one in order to spend a few minutes with Rain before putting her down.

Every. Single. One.


	11. Epilogue

**A/N: Here it is. The epilogue. The thing that will kill all your feels and make you go, "ALEXAAA, WHYYYYY." as in for the fact that I'm Andrella07's Apprentice of Evil. So here you go. I hope you enjoyed this story as much as I have, and now that this is done, RE Redemption is next. Any reviews are appreciated. **

* * *

><p><strong>Epilogue: Set Fire to the Rain<strong>

Bodies had soon piled at Alice's feet like a hunter's prey was collected at the end of the evening hunt. She was relentless with the kills themselves, but ever so careful to make sure she didn't just gut Rain to pieces without seeing that it was her. Otherwise, the whole journey here would've been pointless, her mission a failure. After fighting through the horde that was near the park, she began heading for the hospital where the truck had last been. Her blades were covered in coagulated blood, and she stopped for a moment to wipe it off using the bottom of her filthy trench coat. More of the ragged undead came for her, and with swift strokes and stabs, they fell like dominoes; one by one, they hit the pavement, dead for good this time around.

For a while, Alice was beginning to lose hope that she would be able to find Rain, infected or otherwise dead for good. Glancing at the sky, she noted the slight blue shade had faded to grey, and thunder rolled in the distance. It was strange, going from the desert to the north where it still thundered, and felt like rain was bound to break down._ How fitting,_ Alice thought to herself. She turned back through the nearby park after clearing out the area of the hospital. There wasn't anything missing, besides the truck that Alice had used to escape the town from. She trudged across the yellow and brown patches of grass, cutting between the same suburban houses that she and Rain had darted through to get to the truck in the first place.

With a sigh, she sat down against one of the wooden slat fences, hugging her knees to her chest, kukris on the ground beside her. She had done so much already, and yet, hadn't come across Rain's infected self. Maybe she had been eaten before the undead could realise she was one of them. Maybe she had been one of the few to completely decompose into nothing after the elements were through with her rotting body. Whatever the case, Alice felt a heavy weight still on her shoulders. Her mission to find Rain and put her to rest for good was heading for the steep slope of failure.

Hanging her head, she felt the first few wet drops of precipitation from the sky hit the back of her neck and hands. With the rain came the tears again. Remembering everything after her time spent alone left to think, her moments with Rain Ocampo never left her, not once. She would never forget her no matter how hard she tried to let it go. The look on her face when Alice had shoved her out of the truck, the look of broken trust, of broken feelings, emotions, everything…

* * *

><p>Suddenly, Alice felt a hand grasp at her ankle, and her immediate reaction caused her to glance up sharply, kicking her foot as a crawling undead had grabbed her. When the thing fell back, she stood up, drawing her .45 to just shoot it. When she saw the face and the clothes it was wearing, she stopped, gun shaking in her hand. <em>Rain<em>.

Alice bit her lip as she fell to her knees, not caring if the infected version of her last love was trying to claw at her. What was more gruesome and mentally scarring was the fact that she had no lower legs left, entrails hanging from her side. The infected had gotten their chance before they knew she had turned, and now, she was left as half a corpse, still craving the taste of human flesh. Alice held Rain back by the collar of her deteriorated shirt that half covered the flesh that was barely there, a rotted brown in colour. She was far from she used to be, her face partially sloughed off. With a set jaw, Alice raised her gun, released the safety, and held it up to aim at Rain's temple. She only let out a disgruntled groan, trying to struggle against the blonde's strong grasp on her shirt collar.

"I'm sorry I couldn't save you," Alice whispered. Flashbacks of when they had nearly died in the Hive and Alice had to almost shoot her then were flashing before her eyes. She closed them briefly, and then took a breath to steady her hand. "I wish things didn't have to end this way. We could've survived this together, you and I. To think if you hadn't lived the first time, I don't think I would've really lived either."

In the distance, a strong gunshot rang, and another of the undead was put to rest by the hands of the living. The smell of burning flesh carried on the breeze as occasional drops fell from the clouds above. A lone figure sporting a duster coat with its flaps being blown back behind it, walked away from a small fire in the midst of a park, smoke filling the area. The figure did not once turn around, or look back, but instead kept moving forward one lengthy stride at a time as the water broke out of its hold in the sky, letting large drops of rain to fall to the arid earth, blending in with the figure's tears.

* * *

><p><em>I set fire to the rain,<em>

_Watched it burn as I touched your face,_

_Let it burn while I cried,_

_'cause I heard it screaming out your name,_

_your name. _


End file.
